KATSEYE “Gabriela” Review

KATSEYE is kind of an you-either-love-them-or-hate-them kind of group in K-pop right now. I would like to announce to you guys that I have always been firmly on the “I love KATSEYE” side of things. Their last song, “Gnarly,” confirmed that love. “Gabriela” is only furthering that love…

Concept/Message: 4

Alright, this is one of those songs where concept comes into play more than message– “Gabriela” has a clear concept, or a clear palette or vibe, that they’re trying to subscribe into. And what a fresh and original concept that is. A latin-inspired red-flamenco-dress-spotlighting K-pop song about a group of six absolutely stunning women pettily vying and fighting for a CEO role? Holy crap, has anything close to this ever been done in K-pop, or in all of music history?

I love how global KATSEYE truly is, how they not only have globally diverse members but also globally diverse music. “Gabriela” feels like Daniella’s home territory–look at that Spanish bridge she served us–and I think it’d be really cool if KATSEYE continued this trend and spotlighted music and culture from each of the members’ original backgrounds and heritages. What a compelling and applaudable way that would be to truly earn the title of a global girl group.

And of course, this concept came with a good, healthy dose of KATSEYE “brainrot” that I absolutely love. The main storyline has so much pettiness caked into it–the girls try to prove how hot they are to each other, they fight over a mannequin guy, they slam glasses into each others’ heads, they chop each other’s fingers off, the audience literally starts acting like cats at one point–and I absolutely love it. This stuff is on one hand, so dumb, but on the other, so artistically original, fun, chaotic, and daring. K-pop groups are often so serious in their commitment to a specific concept, and it’s so nice to see a group let go of that and just dare to be as authentically chaotic as they really are. It is so refreshing to see some real personality shine through from our idols.

I docked a point off from this rating for the message this song promotes. Honestly, this song doesn’t spend a lot of time crafting a specific message and focuses mainly on the concept part of things. But the storyline and the girls’ extremely petty and violent actions might suggest that using this kind of pettiness or violence to achieve one’s ends is permissible, which is a kind of harmful and weak message. Honestly, though, I don’t think they’re seriously trying to convey this message and instead using it to incite the chaos and fun that so effectively entertain audiences. I also can’t help but be concerned over how overly sexy this concept might be, especially for Yoonchae, who’s only 17…

Visuals: 5

I love, love, love music videos with a specific storyline. “Gabriela” served just that. It’s a jam-packed story with so many details and scenes that are so hilarious and entertaining to watch. I love how unserious they are with this–the “cut” scene and the last scene where the TV host says that this competition is “more chaotic than a KATSEYE live”–this group is truly unafraid of what others think, truly unafraid to be their most insane, boisterous selves.

Also, can we all take a moment to appreciate how long this video is? It’s almost 5 minutes long!!! I can’t remember the last time I saw a K-pop group have a) the artistic creativity to create a video that long and b) the artistic courage to commit to length even though it hurts streaming statistics. I so applaud this decision.

Can we also pleaseee take a moment to stare, awe-struck, at the six absolutely stunning, gorgeous, perfect girls of KATSEYE. Their face cards are literally undeclinable. Also, can we please give a standing ovation to their stylist? The red dresses? The hairstyles? The nails, jewelry, and makeup? Oh my God, there is just too much beauty packed into this video.

Lyrics: 3

These lyrics are what you expect with a song like this: simple, yet easy to memorize and sing along to. They’re effective in what they’re trying to do.

But I do have a gripe with it. Do we need to get–that suggestive? “You got everybody’s eyes undressing you”? “I bet you taste just like the summer under the covers”? Let’s all collectively chill for a minute here–we can’t have Yoonchae singing stuff like this.

But I did love the Spanish bridge. Guys, I am literally taking Spanish classes in school, but I lowkey didn’t understand what Daniella was saying until I looked at the lyrics. Not good, guys. My mid Spanish listening skills are on full display.

Music: 4

Again–this is so, so original for a K-pop group. A latin-inspired, sensual, slow-dance song? So, so cool and artistically creative. The chorus is honestly so catchy, and the mood created in the bridge is so intriguing. It is somewhat slow and repetitive to my liking–but I imagine myself returning to this song a lot.